Notes on flying-- Mon., Dec. 1

Today I was delayed for 2 ½ hrs in LaGuardia. More ON the plane there. Then there was the flight. And when we got to O’Hare? They kept us waiting an hour for a gate. When you pile on to that my neurotic dad’s need to bring me to the airport at 7 am for a 10 am flight? It was a long day of traveling. Here are just a couple of random observations:
· Bose headphones are the most amazing, wonderful, heavenly things ever. I was watching a kid scream his head off. But I didn’t hear it. Nope, just Modest Mouse. I may go deaf. But at least it won’t be from kids on planes. The only problem—balancing the world created by your headphones and the real world where announcements about your flight are being made. But it’s a balancing act I’m willing to do.
· Speaking of which, the American Airlines rep at the gate kept announcing names of passengers to come up to the gate for their boarding passes. But the way she said “passenger” it sounded like “pasha”. So “Pasha Smith, please come to the gate for your boarding pass”. I thought I was in the Ottoman Empire.
· There was a guy across the row from me who was there with his sister. Well, I couldn’t tell at first if they were brother-sister or boyfriend-girlfriend. They were both about the same age. Looked like college kids. They were affectionate but not PDA-affectionate. They looked similar, but not identical. I was bored and oddly fascinated with trying to figure it out. Then a guy tried to take the brother’s seat while he was getting food and the sister said, “my brother”. Mystery solved. I’m telling you—bored.Of course, this was the same guy that had about a 3’ tall muppet. Looked like a poor man’s Fozzie the Bear. I’m guessing he had seen “Avenue Q” while in NY.